


They Say it Came Out of a Small Thing

by orphan_account



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Also just a ton of Hinata/Bokuto bromance, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Deaf Character, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, POV Third Person
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-13
Updated: 2015-10-31
Packaged: 2018-04-09 05:14:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4335236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hinata's had his fair share of obstacles to overcome, so it doesn't hurt to have someone who's been there too. Meanwhile, Kageyama is in denial about a lot of things and Akaashi is just trying to keep Bokuto reined in.</p><p>Or, the one where Hinata is deaf and incidentally so is Bokuto feat. their setter (soon to be) boyfriends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so I saw [this](http://oikawtf.tumblr.com/post/120990548312/consider-deaf-or-hard-of-hearing-hinata-though) post and immediately fell in love, and Rowan was sweet enough to let me use her idea for this fic! I hope I can do it justice...
> 
> Also the title is from the song Infinitesimal by Mother Mother, it's great go listen to it~

Hinata could still remember the last sound he ever heard.

It wasn't a beautiful sound, or one that he wished he'd ever heard; but it was that sound which had defined the rest of his life, permeating everything he did from then till forever. Now, he heard it in everything, the echoes of a memory that was always on repeat in the back of his mind. At first, it had been disorienting; he was eight when it happened, so he had to re-learn everything he'd known about life up to that point. He could still function, for the most part, but the main issue was communication.

He started by teaching Natsu sign language; since she was the youngest in his family, she caught on much faster than his parents. For a while, she acted as a stand-in translator of sorts, though Hinata himself had to put forth a lot of effort to learn this new language he would depend on for the rest of his life. But he was nothing if not dedicated, and with Natsu's help he had become fluent in just over a year.

The problem was, not many people knew how to sign, unless they had some explicit reason to learn. As a result, he was never able to make many friends in school, and the few people who did put forth an effort to learn soon grew tired of the work they had to put in, and gave up. His friends he'd had in grade school did try, but they'd gone to different schools so they'd gradually lost touch.

Throughout middle school, he mostly had Natsu to keep him company. By then, his parents were also fairly fluent, but Natsu was by far the best at communicating with Hinata. She was the one who'd given him his sign name, positioning her hand into the sign for S and holding it next to her right eye. She later told him she'd done that because his eyes had always been her favourite feature of his; and even though his hearing had gone, the sparkle in his eyes hadn't.

Another thing that wouldn't leave was that noise, the last thing he'd ever heard. He wasn't entirely sure what it was, but it was something like the grating of metal against metal; like nails on a chalkboard, but a thousand times more painful and intense. According to the doctors, that sound was what had caused his eardrums to rupture in the first place. Well, that and the fact that he'd been hit in the side of the head with the yield sign that the other driver had clearly not been paying attention to. But either way, it was all the same to him.

That was when he was first enraptured with volleyball; his family had been watching the national team play a match against America, and one player in particular instantly caught his eye. He was know as the Small Giant, and Hinata was inspired by his passion. He was impressed, that even though he couldn't hear a single thing the Small Giant said in the interviews, Hinata could feel the love for the sport that defined everything he did. It made him fall in love with it, too.

So he practised. He didn't have anyone to play with, besides Natsu (who was less than coordinated) but he didn't much care. He had too much pent up energy, and built up frustration from not being able to talk to anyone besides his family, and he held onto volleyball in the hope that one day he would be able to convey his feelings on the court just like he'd seen the Small Giant do. He never saw the Small Giant play another match, but he didn't really think he needed to.

From then on, he vowed to become the next Small Giant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My introductory chapters are always so short I'm sorry ;A; Stick with me y'all, it'll pick up. Probably.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I probably should've mentioned this earlier, but all the signs I'm using are ASL, not Japanese. I know this is totally inaccurate but ASL is all I know, and since I'm writing in English the Japanese signs wouldn't translate well (T_T) Just pretend all sign language is universal for the sake of this story~
> 
> (Also thank you so much for receiving this story so well! It makes me so so happy that y'all are excited for this even though I just got started, you have no idea)

As usual, he woke to Natsu's excited bouncing on his bed, the comforter being thrown off of him in the process, and persistent poking at his cheek.

"I'm up, go away," he signed like he always did, and Natsu ignored him like she always did. She started to sign something, but Hinata just closed his eyes to shut her out.

She smacked him on the head, and his eyes popped open as he pouted. "I'm not leaving till you make it to the bathroom."

Hinata sighed, cutting her a glance as he rolled off the mattress and laid on the floor helplessly. "Can't....move." He signed it so lazily he was impressed his sister even knew what he was trying to say, but of course she did. She knew him too well.

"You can so move and you're going to." She paused for a moment to pry him up off the floor, and he hung limply over her small shoulders. "Get up you idiot, I'm gonna break! And you can't be late on your first day of high school." Apparently she was done dealing with him, because she just dropped him back onto the floor with a loud thud.

Hinata glared at her from his position flat on his back, and she towered over him, frowning. She didn't even bother signing anything, just pointed to the bathroom and moved out of his way. Since he was too awake to go back to sleep anyway, Hinata heaved himself off the floor and went to brush his teeth.

-

An hour later, Hinata was riding his bike up the drive to his new school, lunch in hand and backpack slung over his shoulders. There were students everywhere, the pavement flooded with the people he'd spend the next three years of his life with. At least on weekdays, that is. He doubted he'd see any of them on Sundays.

But then he saw it; there were various clubs that had set up shop near the front entrance, already fighting over potential new recruits. He didn't care much about clubs, but he cared quite a lot about volleyball, and he'd gladly join a club if it meant he could play with someone besides his sister. Not that he didn't love her for trying, but it wasn't exactly helping him become the next Small Giant.

He wasn't sure how to approach them, though; he'd always been too stubborn to wear hearing aids, and besides that they hurt his ears. Without any way to talk to them, he didn't see much point in going over there, but naturally he did anyway. When he walked up to the boy nearest the sidewalk, he immediately regretted his decision.

The boy was clearly yelling, judging by the force with which he was gesturing and going on about (probably) volleyball, but Hinata had no earthly idea what he was saying to him. He could feel his face getting hot, and considered trying to find an escape route before realising with horror that the boy was not only still yelling, but now he was also getting the attention of another boy on the team. The first boy scratched his bald head in confusion and the second, who was even shorter than Hinata, started going on about volleyball too. Or at least, that's probably what he was on about.

As he stood there dumbfounded, a third boy walked up to the group, asking the short one a question Hinata would never hear no matter how hard he tried. And he did try, really, but obviously it didn't help. At least this guy looked nice; he kind of gave off the same vibe you get from an overprotective dad though, if Hinata was being honest. And he was usually fairly good at determining character; since he couldn't hear people's words, he paid more attention to their actions, and everyone knows actions speak louder than words. A little body language goes a long way, he'd found.

The dad-guy was trying to talk to him now, but Hinata just stared at him and shook his head. The boy's face fell, and he held up his hands as if to say, "What are we missing?"

Hinata pointed to his ears, shaking his head with more conviction and cupping a hand around his right ear, leaning in dramatically like he'd seen people do in movies. All three of them seemed to have an epiphany, and the bald guy looked like he'd quite literally solved one of the world's greatest mysteries. The short one pulled a piece of paper from his bag, stealing a pen from a tall guy with his hair tied back. He wrote in sloppy handwriting, _Do you like volleyball?_ and held it up to Hinata's face.

Hinata nodded, taking the paper from the boy to scribble _No, I love it!_ He started to hand it back to him, but then hastily added _But I'm just deaf, not blind - I can read it just fine without you shoving it in my face_ for good measure.

The other boys burst out laughing as the tiny one with spiked hair immediately turned as red as the brick building they were standing beside, and Hinata giggled a little at himself. He was usually pretty blunt, or as his sister would say, honest to a fault. His dad would say it made him too easy to read, if anyone could actually ever communicate with him.

The guy with the long hair took the paper this time, scrawling in perfect script _Would you like to join the club?_ and Hinata didn't take the time to write anything, just nodded so hard a boy with grey hair looked like he was worried his neck would snap. But he handed Hinata the form with an endearing smile, and Hinata actually pulled him in for a hug. He returned it more genuinely than Hinata had been expecting, which was nice.

They didn't try to talk to him any more, which he was grateful for. They just pointed to the date the form was due by, and waved as he wandered off to find his classroom. Hinata got the feeling he was going to like them, even if it was rough not being able to have a proper conversation. Maybe he could try to teach them to sign, if they'd let him.

He was so lost in thought as he took off his shoes that he bumped into someone passing by, and when he turned around to say sorry he was met with the iciest glare he'd ever seen in his life. His mouth dropped open a little out of surprise, and the boy's sapphire eyes narrowed ever so slightly. Hinata mumbled "Sorry," in a shaky voice, but the other boy just kept eyeing him. Not in a menacing way, or at least he didn't mean for it to be, but Hinata really hoped he wasn't going to try to introduce himself or something.

To prevent the worst before it happened, he once again gestured to his ears and shook his head as he shrugged. The boy tilted his head a little before realisation set in, and he nodded. He signed "Thank you," which didn't really make sense, but Hinata guessed it was the only sign he knew. Before he could ask as much, the boy was spinning on his heel and storming off, leaving a trail of terrified glances in his wake. He really did have an intimidating face, even if Hinata was skeptical of how scary he actually was. Anyone who made an attempt to talk to him couldn't be that bad.

The rest of the day went by uneventfully, mostly because the school hadn't quite finished making arrangements for Hinata's interpreter yet, so he spent most of the day staring at the wall and doodling on his notebook. He was pretty sure nothing of importance was happening, based on the disinterested stares his classmates were giving the teacher. He was sat by the blue-eyed boy who'd tried to talk to him earlier, and he considered trying to communicate with him again. He needn't have worried though, because sometime in the middle of homeroom he passed Hinata a note.

_How do you sign "hello?"_

Hinata struggled to suppress a laugh as he hastily wrote his response. _You don't, you just wave!_ He slid the paper back over to the other boy, whose face immediately went flush.

_Oh. Well how do you sign "my name is Kageyama Tobio?"_

Hinata demonstrated as discreetly as he could, to avoid being noticed by the teacher. He pointed to himself, then stuck out two fingers from each hand and tapped them together in front of his chest. _Then you just spell your name, unless you have a sign name._

Kageyama looked at the paper confusedly. _What's a sign name?_

 _It's a special sign someone makes up to use in the place of your name, but usually you only get them if you're really close to a deaf person._ He gave the paper back, and Kageyama's brow furrowed.

_I don't have one of those, so you can just call me Kageyama. What's your name?_

Hinata nodded, giving Kageyama the sweetest smile he could manage. _I'm Hinata Shouyou, but I have a sign name too!_

Kageyama didn't write anything, just looked up at Hinata, questioning. He signed his name quickly, and Kageyama mimicked him before writing something and passing back the paper.

_How do you sign "nice to meet you?"_

Hinata's smile grew as he flattened his left hand, brushing his right on top of it before holding up his index fingers and bringing them together, then pointed to Kageyama. _Like that!_

Kageyama's brow furrowed in concentration, then he took a deep breath and copied the signs Hinata had just shown him. He added on Hinata's sign name for good measure, and Hinata thought his chest might burst he was so happy.

Unfortunately, though, the bell rang then, signalling the end of classes for the day. Hinata knew because everyone was getting out of their seats and rushing to throw their books back into their desks, hurriedly trying to be the first to scout out the clubs. Hinata wasn't in such a rush, and evidently neither was Kageyama.

Hinata held up his club form, gesturing to it and then to Kageyama as if to ask "What club are you joining?" Kageyama's eyes widened a little as he pulled an identical form from his bag, pointing to the place he'd written "volleyball."

Hinata started bouncing on his heels excitedly, giving Kageyama a thumbs up and waving for him to follow before setting off to find the gym.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously y'all are too sweet, thank you so much for all your kind words! You've been motivating me like crazy so here's another ridiculously fast update whoops (no promises that this will keep up though, school keeps me busy lol)

While playing volleyball was fun, watching other people play it without you was decidedly less so.

Hinata, Kageyama and the two other first years were sat against the wall of the gym, quietly watching the team do their usual practise. Or at least Hinata thought they were being quiet, not that he could tell. But either way, they weren't allowed to practise with the team yet, so they had been demoted to benchwarmers before they even started. And there weren't even any benches, so Hinata's butt was starting to hurt.

Because of that and the fact that he couldn't talk to the others anyway, he stood up and jogged over to the team dad (he still didn't know any of their names, so he was just giving them mental nicknames at this point). He waved his hand in a spike motion, then pointed to the ball that the other boy was currently holding. He looked a little confused, but then he seemed to get an idea. After a bunch of interactions that Hinata was completely clueless to, the man-bun guy brought out a huge white board from the locker room. It was probably the one they used to go over plays and the like, but this time the grey haired one handed Hinata the marker.

He hastily wrote _Can I spike the ball?_ on the board, turning around and doing his best to look endearing. The team collectively shook their heads, much to Hinata's dismay, but they called the other first years over and the bald one who'd been yelling earlier pointed to the ground. After a few more confused gestures, Hinata got that he wanted him to sit down, which he did.

The dad-guy took the marker from him, scrawling _Sawamura Daichi_ on the board in big letters. He turned, pointing to the name, and then to himself. Hinata nodded, and the boy with the silver hair went next. He wrote _Sugawara Koushi_ in tiny, neat handwriting, and Hinata nodded again.

The bald one snatched the marker, scribbling _Tanaka Ryuunosuke_ over half of the remaining space in what looked like a grade schooler's handwriting. Hinata nodded anyway, and then the short one with the weird hair wrote _Nishinoya Yuu_ in the free space Tanaka had left. Daichi rolled his eyes a little, erasing the board before handing the marker to the big guy with the hair. He wrote _Azumane Asahi_ in the same perfect script he'd used earlier, and Hinata gave him a thumbs up.

Next, a tall first year with glasses wrote _Tsukishima Kei_ in boxy letters, followed by his friend writing _Yamaguchi Tadashi_ in what was probably the cutest handwriting Hinata had ever seen, complete with little flips at the end of each letter. Kageyama also wrote his name, but Hinata just waved his hand dismissively at that, which made Kageyama shoot him a glare.

Hinata stood up, stealing the marker from Kageyama and writing _HINATA SHOUYOU, FUTURE ACE_ as big as he could on the board. The entire team seemed to think that was hilarious, except for Hinata's fellow first years who were just as dumbfounded as he was. Noya explained something to them, based on the looks of realisation that followed, but Hinata didn't know what it was. Yamaguchi seemed to notice, and took the marker from him to pen a question on the board.

_Can't you read lips?_

Hinata shook his head, taking the marker back. _I tried when I was little, but I can't focus well enough. I always get too distracted._

Daichi frowned at the board, turning to Suga and asking something that Hinata thought was probably about his apparent lack of focus. Actually, though, he wrote _How can we talk to you then?_

Kageyama said something to him then, and they collectively shot Hinata a glance before directing their attention back to him. There were nods and other various modes of agreement, and then Kageyama wrote _You're gonna teach us sign language_ by way of explanation.

Hinata felt a smile bloom on his lips, and bounced on his heels a couple times before motioning for them all to sit on the ground. He wrote on the board, _What words do you want to learn?_ and kept Kageyama standing up so he could write what the others said.

After much debate and a lot of confusion, they ended up with the most random list Hinata had ever seen:

 _Pork buns_  
_Got it_  
 _Rolling thunder_  
 _Setter_  
 _Your shoelace is untied_  
 _Nice one_  
 _Kiyoko is pretty_  
 _Listen up_  
 _Spike_  
 _King_

He stared at it for a second before laughing and getting to work. First, he pointed to "pork buns," then brought his right hand up under his chin and waved his fingers a couple times before moving his hand down to grab the skin between his left thumb and index finger; then he stuck out his left hand and brushed his right fingertips against the knuckles. He paused, and the other boys tried their best to copy what he'd just done. Kageyama was by far the most accurate, so Hinata pointed to him and gave a thumbs up for encouragement. Kageyama blushed, and the others started practising in an attempt to catch up to him.

Next, Hinata pointed to "got it." He cupped his right hand, holding it in front of his body and rotating his wrist so that his fingers pointed to his chest. Then he pointed off to the side, before picking up the marker to explain, _There isn't a sign for "it," you just point to the thing, or point off to your dominant side._ He turned, watching as the team tried to copy his movements. Tsukishima raised his hand, like an actual student, and Hinata pointed to him.

He walked up to the board, holding out his hand for Hinata to give him the marker. Once he did, Tsukki wrote _Why don't you ever talk?_ in the upper corner of the board.

Hinata sighed before whispering, "I can talk, I just don't like to since I can't hear myself." Or he tried to whisper, but naturally he wasn't sure how successful he was.

Tsukishima nodded, moving back to the floor and sitting down by Yamaguchi. The others had gone back to their attempt at deciphering the mystery that is the fact there's no sign for "it," and their looks of befuddlement reminded Hinata of something.

 _Facial expressions are really important in sign language. They're like half of getting your point across, so make sure you use your face to say what you need to say too!_ he wrote, which prompted even more confusion from the team.

Their teaching session was interrupted by a short man with dark hair and glasses walking into the gym. He said something to Daichi, who pointed to Hinata as he was replying, and the man took the marker from him.

 _Takeda-sensei, volleyball club faculty advisor_ he wrote neatly, and Hinata nodded before bowing his head a bit. Takeda said something to the team, and they all stood to clean up the equipment. Hinata helped too, but he kept putting things in the wrong places because he couldn't tell where Daichi said they were supposed to go. Once they finished, everyone went their separate ways. Well, everyone except Hinata and Kageyama, because incidentally they lived near each other.

The walk home was uneventful; Kageyama made no attempt to talk to Hinata, probably because he knew he wouldn't be able to anyway. Hinata didn't mind though, just wheeled his bike along at his side and mentally hummed a song he'd heard sometime before he couldn't hear anything anymore. Kageyama did glance over a few times, but Hinata thought nothing of it. Until Kageyama tapped him on the shoulder and stuck out his phone, that is.

 _Can you teach me more?_ were the words typed on the bright little screen, and Hinata grinned as a blush crept its way up Kageyama's face. Hinata nodded, pulling Kageyama in for a hug and startling him in the process.

He took the phone, asking _Can you come over this Sunday?_ after adding his number to Kageyama's contacts. Kageyama nodded, and Hinata's smile grew so big it was kind of hurting his cheeks.

Kageyama pointed off to a side street, trying to say that he had to go that way, and Hinata reluctantly pointed the opposite direction. Kageyama nodded, waving a little sheepishly as he turned the corner and then he was gone.

Hinata liked walking home alone; it gave him the chance to notice the beauty in the world. Without all the background noise most people had to deal with on a constant basis, he could really look at things for what they were, which was beautiful. The trees were doing their best to pump out oxygen for everyone to breathe, the bees were working hard to keep the flowers growing, the sidewalk made sure that Hinata stayed safe from cars, and somewhere down the road there was a boy who wanted to learn sign language.

In Hinata's mind, that was perhaps the most beautiful thing of all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *whispers* If there's anything y'all want to see in this story please tell me and I'll keep it in mind~ I do have some stuff planned out but for the most part it's pretty open so hmu


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow sorry this took so long, I've barely had any time to write lately rip ;A; Hopefully now that I have a break from school I'll be able to get more done!
> 
> Also I guess it's worth mentioning that Natsu is older in this fic than she is in canon, she's only a year or two younger than Kags and Hinata in this story because plot reasons. Probably should've told y'all that sooner, oops...

Sunday couldn't come fast enough, but when it finally arrived Hinata was a nervous wreck.

His parents were at work, so he and Natsu had the house to themselves for the time being; Natsu was doing her best to avoid his tornado of last-minute preparations, without much success. She'd somehow gotten roped into dusting the living room, while Hinata was busy wiping down the kitchen counter.

"Why are we doing all this? It's just a guy from school, right?" she signed from across the room. She wanted to roll her eyes, but she didn't. She knew how important this must be to her brother, since he'd never had many friends.

"Yeah, but he wants to learn how to sign! I have to make a good impression," was Hinata's hasty reply, and Natsu sighed.

"Onii-san, you need to calm down." She walked over to Hinata's side, placing her little hands on his shoulders. "He isn't gonna care if the house isn't spotless, so just give it a rest." Before Hinata could respond, she turned her head toward the door, which probably meant Kageyama had just arrived. "He's here, so don't be weird," she signed quickly before leaving to let him in.

Hinata tossed the towel he'd been using to clean into the washing machine before taking the duster from where Natsu had left it on the table and shoving it into a cabinet, taking one last look around the room. It wasn't spotless, but at least it wasn't dirty. He didn't really know what he was doing anyway since he hadn't had anyone over since he was little, but he tried not to let that get to him. He didn't want to psych himself out before it even started. Whatever "it" was.

Kageyama followed Natsu into the room a minute later, waving slightly to Hinata as Natsu rambled about something. She was probably telling him to make himself at home, based on the way she was gesturing to the living room, but Kageyama was just staring at Hinata.

"You better be social. Talk to him!" Natsu tried to sign without Kageyama noticing, but of course that didn't work. He cocked his head a little, though he didn't seem bothered by it.

"I can't, you idiot! How am I gonna talk if I can't even hear?"

"Didn't you wear your hearing aids today?" Hinata shook his head. "How do you plan to teach him anything if you can't even have a conversation? Go put them in, dummy!" Her hands were flying; she always signed more quickly when she was annoyed.

Hinata pouted, but scuttled off to his room to put the loathed things in. They were super uncomfortable, and they didn't even help much anyway; he could hear a little with them in, but it was kind of like listening to sounds underwater. He could understand for the most part, but it was muffled and just generally a major brain strain. He hated it, but at least they had volleyballs on them. That was the only way his mother had convinced him to get the stupid things in the first place, even if he avoided them most of the time.

"-really stubborn, so go easy on him," Natsu was saying as he walked back to the living room. She turned to Hinata then, signing, "All set?" and he nodded.

"Can you hear me?" Kageyama asked a little reluctantly, like he wasn't sure if he was being rude or not.

Hinata nodded, flashing a smile despite the fact that his ears felt weirdly stuffy. "Yeah, but I can only wear these for a little while, so let's get started!" He sat down at the table, patting the floor next to him so Kageyama would join him.

"Oh, I'll make some tea!" Natsu was practically giddy at the chance to entertain one of Hinata's friends, so he didn't bother protesting. He could tell she thought Kageyama was cute anyway, so he'd have to remember to tease her about it later.

Kageyama thanked her before turning to Hinata. "You and your sister seem really close," he observed, eyeing Hinata with an expression he couldn't quite place.

"Well she was the only one who could sign for a while, so we kind of had to be, I guess. She gave me my sign name too."

"Did you give her a sign name?"

"Yeah." When Kageyama just raised his eyebrows, Hinata put his hand into the sign for N and brought it up to his lips, kissing it lightly. "When we were little she'd always kiss my hand before we went to sleep, so I guess it kind of stuck with me." He felt his cheeks flush a little; he hadn't told anyone that story in years.

Kageyama nodded, attentive as ever. "So, do you have a plan for this or are we just gonna wing it?"

Hinata blinked a few times, not really sure how to approach the task at hand. "Uhm, I didn't really think about it? I just thought we could learn whatever words you wanted to know, and then go from there, I guess."

Natsu bust back into the room then, tea and snacks in hand. "You idiot, that's not how you teach someone to sign! You have to come up with a plan." She started setting the cups down on the table, followed by a plate of cookies, and Hinata grabbed one, chewing thoughtfully.

"Hey Nat, what did you learn first?" he asked around a mouthful of food.

"I just started with the basics, like greetings and asking where the bathroom is." She shrugged, pouring some tea for the three of them.

"I can do that," Hinata mumbled, then turned to Kageyama. "Okay, well you already know 'hello' and 'my name is' so I'm gonna teach you question words! First is 'who.'" He pressed his thumb up against his chin, sticking his pointer finger out and waving it a couple times.

Kageyama followed suit as Natsu munched on cookies and read a magazine. "Like this?"

"Perfect! Now let's do 'what,' it's easy." Hinata stuck his hands out, palms up, and shook them a few times. "Don't forget your facial expressions, okay?" Kageyama nodded, imitating Hinata once again, but this time with an even more confused look on his face. "Good. Now there's 'when.'" He stuck his left index finger in the air, circling it with his right and then bringing the tips together.

Kageyama did the same, once again trying to look like he was asking a genuine question, but failing. "Hey Hinata, why are facial expressions so important for sign language?" He kept practising the signs he'd learned as he waited for an answer, though his face looked as intimidating as ever.

"A lot of the signs are really close to each other, so sometimes if the person is signing fast it's hard to tell which one they mean. Plus, a lot of them just have multiple meanings so it's always good to use context clues. People do it when they speak too, like we are now, it's just less obvious because most hearing people pay more attention to the words than body language. Deaf people don't have to worry about that, though." He shrugged; it was weird to say it out loud.

Kageyama stopped his practising, looking up to meet Hinata's eyes. "You must be good at reading people, huh?"

"He's freaky good at it, actually," Natsu butt in.

Kageyama's eyes lit up. "Really? What do you think of me, then?"

Hinata stared at him for a good minute, then sighed. "You act scary, and you are kind of scary at first, but you have a good heart. You're just awkward so you don't know how to show it, even though you're really smart. Also, you really love milk." 

Natsu giggled from behind her magazine, and Kageyama blushed as he looked down at his hands. "I guess you're not that far off. How'd you know I like milk, though?"

"Kageyama, you bought four cartons yesterday alone. No normal person does that."

Kageyama smiled then, and it seemed oddly out of place in a sad sort of way, like he wasn't used to being happy. "True. So hey, how do you say milk in sign language?"

"I thought we were starting with question words," Natsu barked, and Hinata stuck his tongue out at her.

"C'mon, Kageyama, let's stick to the plan before she gets pissed and poisons our tea."

"I wouldn't do that! Not to Kageyama, anyway," she protested.

Hinata rolled his eyes. "Whatever, you're being distracting. Go away and call your friend Mairu or something." Natsu huffed, getting up and grumbling as she made her way to her room. Hinata turned back to Kageyama, a smile once again breaking out across his face. "Okay, now where were we?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much happens in this chapter?? I don't know it was kind of transitional, sorry (and after I made you wait so long omg I'm trash)
> 
> Anyway as usual if there's anything you want to see tell me and I'll try to make it happen~


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so first of all I'm sorry I was so slow with this update ;A; I've had a rough couple of weeks, so sparing y'all the details just know that writing this chapter was quite a feat for me.
> 
> Anyway, thanks so much for your continued support! To be honest I can't believe this fic has 200+ kudos, y'all are so good to me and I can't tell you how much it means that you actually take the time to read this! Thank you and as always I love you~

In the end, Kageyama stayed the night at their house.

It was partially because he and Hinata had fallen asleep on the living room floor at some point in the night, and partially because Hinata's mom was so excited he finally had a friend over she insisted he stay as long as possible. She'd even stopped by his house to pick up his uniform and whatever else he'd need in the morning, basically just going out of her way to make sure he had no excuse to leave. She was doting in her own way, but overall she left them to their own devices. She wanted Hinata to enjoy this, after all.

So did Natsu, but she couldn't sleep at all and Hinata had long since taken his hearing aids out so she wasn't worried about being quiet. Glancing at the clock, she saw it was almost 2am, which normally would have bothered her since she had to get up early in the morning, but she was dying of thirst at the moment.

She padded down the hall, passing through the living room on her way to the kitchen and noticing that Hinata had kicked his blanket off. He was always moving around in his sleep, so it happened a lot; she tucked him in gently before tiptoeing into the kitchen and reaching for a glass right as she saw a figure move out of the corner of her eye.

"What the -" She was cut off by a hand flying up to cover her mouth, and as her eyes adjusted to the dark she saw it was Kageyama standing mere inches away from her.

"Even if Hinata can't hear you, you could still wake your parents up," he muttered as he took his hand off of Natsu's mouth.

She rolled her eyes. "I know that, dumbass." She went back to getting water as Kageyama sipped from a glass of milk Hinata had fixed him earlier.

"Hey, how do you say that? In sign language?"

Natsu stared at him. "Dumbass, you mean?" Kageyama nodded. "Like this," she explained as she pressed a fist to her forehead, then held up an A and slid her hand through the air into the position for S.

Kageyama tried to imitate what she did a few times before mumbling a quiet "Thanks."

"No problem. You catch on pretty fast, huh?" She sat next to him at the table, looking out the window absentmindedly. "Hinata was like that too. He learned the fastest of all of us, and even now no one else even comes close to his level of fluency."

Kageyama shook his head a little. "It seemed like you're pretty fluent yourself. I couldn't even tell what you two were signing earlier."

She laughed dryly, taking a sip of her water. "Hinata's way faster than that, actually. He just slows down so that I can keep up." She shrugged, like it couldn't be helped.

"Is it hard for you? I mean, you seem close...but isn't it weird not being able to show him your favourite song, or yell down the hall to get his attention, or even just give him a call on the phone?" Natsu had been asked as much by countless people, but for some reason when Kageyama asked it, it seemed more earnest than it had in the past.

"Not really, not anymore. At first it sucked because we couldn't really communicate, but now that we can sign it's not a big deal. And when he wears his hearing aids, he can hear well enough, the problem is that he's too stubborn to put them in."

"You look up to him." It wasn't a question, just an observation. Kageyama was surprisingly perceptive.

"Of course I do, he's my hero. Not many people could go through what he's had to deal with and still manage to smile every day. And I mean really smile, not fake it." She stared down at her glass, swirling the water inside it distractedly. "But I haven't seen him smile as big as he did today in years," she breathed, and for a moment she wondered if Kageyama had even heard her.

"He doesn't have many friends, does he?" She looked up, but Kageyama wasn't paying any attention to her. He was too busy watching Hinata sleep, smiling a little as the other boy adjusted his position on the pillow.

Natsu shook her head. "He hasn't had a single friend since he was eleven. I'm pretty much all he's got, so if you hurt him I swear to god I'll make you regret it."

She cut him a look, but Kageyama just nodded. "I don't plan on hurting him." He sighed, and for a moment he looked a lot older than he was. "But if I do, you have my permission to kick my ass."

Natsu smirked, glancing back at her brother then facing Kageyama once more. "Deal."

-

As Hinata flew down the hill on his bike, he breathed in the crisp spring air and took a mental note of how content he felt at the moment. He wasn't a disagreeable person as a general rule, but lately he'd been in even higher spirits than normal. After all, he'd just had his first friend over in years, and now the day had come when the first years were allowed to practise with the rest of the team.

The school came into view as he rounded a corner, and he slowed considerably to avoid hitting any passersby. No one else looked as excited to be there as he felt, but he couldn't really blame them. They probably didn't take the time to enjoy the little things in life, like he'd learned to do. The sad truth is, most people don't appreciate what they have until it's somehow taken from them. Hinata had been like that once, too.

He was so distracted by his anticipation that he didn't pay much attention in class at all, and his interpreter, Kokonoe-san, had to repeat himself several times before it was all said and done. Hinata tried to pay attention, really he did, but he couldn't stop glancing out the window at the gym and shooting Kageyama huge grins of excitement. Kageyama, for his part, didn't seem all that effected. It kind of made Hinata wonder why, but then again Kageyama didn't seem like the type to get worked up over something as seemingly trivial as their first official day of practise.

As soon as the last bell rang, prompted by the shuffling of his peers, Hinata was shooting out of his chair and bolting out the door. Kageyama was surprisingly close behind, and they were the first ones in the gym.

Once the others arrived, it was the typical routine of setting up nets, gathering balls, and sweeping the floor like always. Hinata was working in overdrive though, so he finished his assigned duties way ahead of schedule. Kageyama and Yamaguchi also seemed happy to finally have the chance to participate, and they were working at a relatively fast pace too. Tsukishima, on the other hand, appeared to be going even slower than usual, much to Hinata's dismay.

Once everything was finally situated, Daichi called them over for a pep talk. As usual, Hinata had no idea what was going on, but he didn't care much considering the fact he'd soon get to play his beloved volleyball. With someone other than his sister, that is. He felt like he was finally taking a step in the right direction toward his goal.

They started with stretches and warm-ups, which thankfully didn't need much explanation since Hinata had seen the second and third years do them multiple times already. Kageyama was his partner, since he knew the most (albeit rudimentary) sign language, and they managed to get through the initial exercises without incident. The real problem came when the team split up to play a scrimmage of sorts; Daichi apparently wanted to see what they were starting with, so he could tell Coach Ukai roughly how experienced everyone was. It would effect how they practised, so they needed a good gauge of skill levels.

Hinata was not the most technically advanced, to be sure; in fact, he'd barely ever learned even the basics of volleyball mechanics. He did have his natural athleticism and jumping power on his side, but as time wore on it became increasingly clear that Hinata would be close to useless on the team if he couldn't hear Daichi's calls.

The first time it happened was simply a matter of Hinata's inability to hear Tsukishima call the ball, and he went for the receive himself but wound up smacking Tsukki's glasses clear off his face. This resulted in a proper temper tantrum from the other boy, and it took Yamaguchi several minutes to restore him to his usual quietly brooding state. Daichi waved it off, writing on the board that Hinata should pay more attention to others who may be going for the receive.

The second time, Hinata didn't hear Daichi yell "Out!" when Yamaguchi tried to serve the ball, and he ended up knocking it out of bounds himself. It occurred to him after the fact what Daichi's flailing had been meant to convey, but obviously by that point it was too late for it to matter.

After countless more mishaps, miscommunications and poorly executed plays, Kiyoko blew her whistle and said something to Daichi, which prompted the whole team to gather around the white board like they had the first day of school. Daichi wrote _volleyball signs_ at the top of the board, and proceeded to list the different calls they may need to make.

 _Out_  
_Head's up_  
_Serve_  
_Over here_  
_Toss to me_  
_Spike_  
_Got it_

They'd already been shown the signs for "spike" and "got it" once before, so they started by reviewing those. Kageyama remembered them, so he handled that part, and then Hinata went down the list and demonstrated the rest of the signs. The other boys were mostly at a loss, but Kageyama caught on well enough. Daichi made him the honorary "interpreter" of the team, since the rest of them were hopeless for the time being.

After that, they tried a few more practise plays to see how the new signs would effect their gameplay. It went pretty smoothly, compared to before, and the team visibly brightened at their newfound unity. It was going well, thankfully, until a certain play changed their view of Hinata and Kageyama as a pair.

It began like all the others; it happened to be Sugawara's serve, and he effortlessly landed the ball right into Noya's domain, who then set the ball up for Kageyama to spike. Tanaka was probably calling for a toss, but Hinata had no knowledge of that, so he signed for a toss of his own. He thrust his hands into the air, mimicking a tossing motion, then gestured vaguely to himself by waving both hands at his chest. Kageyama nodded, and glanced to the place he wanted Hinata to move. Just like always.

Unfortunately, Kageyama's telltale glance made it quite easy for Asahi to predict where the spike was going to come from, and he moved accordingly. Hinata knew his spikes were no match for Asahi's experienced blocking (not to mention the sheer size difference), so he quickly changed directions and flew to the other side of the court.

He wasn't exactly expecting Kageyama to toss to him; if anything, he figured he could distract Asahi and allow Kageyama the chance to give Tanaka the ball. He wanted it to look as convincing as he could manage, so he decided to jump and swing just like he normally would. He closed his eyes as he leapt into the air, swinging his arm toward the net solely from muscle memory.

He was surprised to find his hand made contact with something sturdy and round.

When he landed on the court once more, he opened his eyes just in time to see the ball he'd just spiked bouncing in front of a lunging Yamaguchi; not only had he spiked the ball, he'd actually gotten them a point.

With his eyes closed.

He looked at Kageyama, who was staring back at him like he couldn't believe that had just happened. Hinata couldn't really either, all things considered. How does someone toss a ball with such pinpoint accuracy that the spiker can land a hit without even looking? It was almost a freak of a nature, a fluke.

Hinata could tell by the mischievous glint in Kageyama's eyes and the smirk he currently flaunted that it wasn't a fluke, and Kageyama planned to capitalise on this newfound partnership. Hinata stuck his hand out in a fist, and Kageyama tapped his own knuckles against Hinata's by way of congratulations. Who he was congratulating, Hinata wasn't sure, but he figured it was an expression of appreciation for the joint effort.

After that, they mostly did mundane drills and reviewed technique, which Hinata had to learn purely by observation. It wasn't easy, but then again most things that are worthwhile aren't. It certainly didn't help that he was preoccupied with thoughts of how to perfect Kageyama's deadly accurate toss, either. Throughout the rest of the practise, he was distracted by a nagging thought in the back of his mind; that maybe, just maybe, Kageyama was the missing link he'd been looking for all this time.

In volleyball, but also in happiness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Natsu and Kageyama bromance is important to me?? Sorry I don't know
> 
> Ahhh more actual Kagehina is coming, I promise! Also, Bokuto anyone? *wink wonk*


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I had several people ask me when I was going to post this chapter, sorry it's taken me so long to update! Hopefully y'all like it... *hides face in hands* Thanks for sticking around, it means a lot~

_Oh my god. Oh my god, it's really happening._ A mere two weeks after his first practise with the volleyball team, Hinata was having a hard time containing his excitement, for multiple reasons at once.

First of all, there was the fact that they were currently unpacking their gear from the bus for their first match of the year. It was against some school Hinata had never heard of (no pun intended), but he didn't mind as long as they were a decent opponent. From what he could tell based on the actions of his older teammates, they would be, so he didn't worry too much about it.

He was, however, worried about a lot of other things. For starters, he was once again wearing the stupid hearing aids, and he wasn't too confident they'd actually stay in place with all his running around. He'd refused to wear them at any practises, much to Daichi's chagrin, so he had no idea how well they'd hold up in a match. He needed to wear them now, unfortunately, since Kageyama was still the only one who could roughly communicate with him via sign language.

Speaking of Kageyama, another thing weighing on Hinata's mind was the fact that they had yet to perfect their "freak toss and spike," as Tsukki apparently called it. True, they had never made a conscious decision to use it regularly, but it had sort of developed on its own. Hinata wasn't entirely sure if Kageyama planned to use it in an actual game, where the stakes were higher, but he was kind of afraid to ask.

Honestly, he was just afraid in general. He'd never played volleyball with a team before two weeks ago, and he certainly hadn't ever gotten the opportunity to play with an opponent. That was daunting in and of itself, but the fact that he currently had a splitting headache wasn't helping the matter.

"Okay?" Kageyama signed. It was his way of checking up on Hinata, since he still had a very limited vocabulary.

Hinata just nodded. "You can talk," he said aloud, pointing to the hearing aids he'd reluctantly shoved in his ears.

Kageyama took a breath. "I know, but the noise seems like it's already too much for you."

Hinata winced; after all, he wasn't wrong. Hinata wasn't used to wearing hearing aids at all, but especially not when the squeaking of shoes and yelling of the crowd flooded the room. No wonder he had a headache. "It's alright, I just gotta get used to it."

Kageyama eyed him, but didn't say anything. Sugawara called him over for some last minute setter tips, and Hinata was left to his own devices. He noticed Yamaguchi was sitting on the floor next to Tsukishima, but Tsukki had his headphones on so Hinata felt brave enough to strike up a conversation. He hadn't had many chances to talk to his teammates, besides Kageyama.

"Hey Yams, what's he always listening to?" Hinata jerked his thumb in Tsukki's direction, and Yamaguchi looked a bit startled to see him.

He shrugged. "I don't know, I guess it depends on what kind of mood he's in." He was eating a candy bar he'd snuck into the gym, and he handed a chunk to Hinata, who ate it happily.

"Don't you ever talk about that stuff?" he asked around a mouthful of chocolate and caramel.

"What stuff?" Yamaguchi eyed Tsukki, as if he were worried the other boy might hear them.

"Y'know, like why he's always listening to music!"

"Maybe he just doesn't like talking?" Yamaguchi said it like a question, though really it was kind of obvious Tsukishima wasn't a people person.

"Is that why he's always so mean to Kageyama, too?" Hinata mumbled to himself.

Yamaguchi stared at him. "Look, I know Tsukki can be an asshole, but he really isn't a bad guy. He just doesn't know how to deal with people...and he has no filter."

Hinata side-eyed Tsukki, who was still leaned against the wall with his eyes closed. "So basically he has no people skills because he's antisocial." He didn't even ask, just told Yamaguchi what he'd observed. "I'll fix that!"

Before Yamaguchi could stop him, Hinata was reaching for Tsukki's arm, tugging at the sleeve of his tracksuit jacket. A look of pure horror flashed across Yamaguchi's face as Tsukishima's eyes shot open, pupils zeroing in on Hinata almost instantly. Hinata wasn't affected by his icy stare, just tilted his head inquisitively.

"Hey Tsukki, whatcha listening to?" He flashed the prettiest smile he could manage, and Tsukki's signature frown deepened. Yamaguchi looked like he was considering fleeing the scene.

"None of your business," was all he said as he adjusted his glasses farther up the bridge of his nose. He dragged the volume bar on the touch screen of his phone as high as it would go, only to see a much smaller hand smash the pause button immediately after.

"C'mon, lemme listen!" Hinata whined as he shook the other boy and Tsukki ripped his headphones off of his head in annoyance.

"What the hell, Hinata? Can you even use headphones with those things in your ears?"

As soon as he said it, Hinata collapsed in on himself and shrunk back against Yamaguchi's shoulder; the other boy, for his part, was glaring daggers at Tsukki in a way Hinata had never seen. "Tsukki, don't say stuff like that." Yamaguchi's voice was calm, but deadly.

"It's a valid question." Tsukki didn't seem at all affected by the obvious blow to Hinata's confidence. Not that he was self-conscious or anything, but it still hurt to have his imperfections pointed out so blatantly, and completely without tact.

"You could have easily just given him the -"

"It's okay, Yams. Tsukki can do what he wants. I'm gonna go to the bathroom." Hinata rose up from the ground, pushing off of the wall to wander away in the general direction of the restroom.

He realised as he stepped out into the hallway that he really had no clue where the bathroom even was. He meandered down the corridor for what felt like ages, finally spotting a sign that directed him to the bathroom's location. He was so focused on following the arrows on the wall as he rounded each corner that he didn't notice someone was walking toward him till they had collided head-on, promptly knocking Hinata onto his butt.

"Gwah! Sorry, I didn't see -" Hinata started, but he was interrupted by a sound that was somewhere between a shriek of delight and whatever sound an owl makes when it's excited. It was alarming, to say the least, and he clutched at the fabric draped across his chest as he tried to make sense of the situation.

There was a boy sitting not too far from Hinata, presumably also knocked over by the force of their collision, and he was presently running his hands through his wild black and white hair like he couldn't believe his eyes, and was trying to wrap his head around whatever epiphany he had just had. Hinata was as lost for words as the other boy seemed to be, even more so when he started signing.

His hands were flying in a matter of seconds, the fastest of anyone Hinata had seen. "Your hearing aids are wicked cool! They must've cost a fortune, you must really love volleyball, I've been playing forever but I've only had my implants for like three years and I'm probably due for new ones anyway so I -"

Hinata held a hand up, stopping him in his tracks before signing, "How do you know sign language?"

The other boy cocked his head for a second, obviously confused by the question, before something clicked in his mind and he started laughing heartily. He stuck out his hand, and when Hinata took it he practically threw him over his shoulder so he could see the hearing aids attached to his head, just behind the shell of his ear. Hinata felt his eyes widen at the same time his mouth dropped open, and he was suddenly shaking as the other boy laughed against his chest.

He pulled back, now that he'd seen what the other boy was talking about, and instantly went into hyperdrive, his hands flashing in front of his body faster than he'd ever signed before. "Oh my god I can't believe there's someone else here who's deaf! I'm Hinata Shouyou, but you can use my sign name!" He demonstrated quickly before continuing, "Have you always been deaf? How long have you been playing volleyball? What school do you go to? What's your name? Are you -"

"Bokuto-san!" Hinata whipped his head toward the sound the same time the owl boy did, and their gaze locked on the prettiest boy Hinata had ever seen. His dark hair was slightly mussed, his eyes flashing from something other than the fluorescence. The guy Hinata was still sprawled against immediately brightened.

"Akaashi!" he practically yelled, and Hinata thought that if he wasn't already deaf, being in such close proximity to this guy's shouting would have done it. "GUESS WHAT?"

Akaashi didn't look at all interested in whatever was so exciting to the other boy. He just walked over to them, placing his hand under Hinata's armpit and dragging him up to stand. "What do you want with Bokuto-san?" he asked Hinata, who stood there dumbfounded. It probably wasn't helping the suspicion Akaashi obviously felt, but he didn't really know how to respond.

"Uhm, nothing? I just - I was going to the bathroom, and then I ran into him, literally, and I just found out we're both deaf!"

Akaashi's eyebrows rose at that, and he seemed to notice the hearing aids under Hinata's mess of orange hair for the first time. "Ah, I see. Sorry, a lot of people make fun of him so I didn't want you to start anything." He turned to the other boy, who was still sitting on the floor. "You okay, Bokuto-san?"

He stuck his hand out, and Bokuto took it, pulling himself to stand. "Akaashi, you ruined my surprise! Be nice to Hinata." He was still talking louder than necessary, but Hinata couldn't really blame him. He turned to Hinata then, once again signing. "I'm Bokuto Koutarou, but of course you can use my sign name!" He made the sign for K with his hand, waving it against the side of his hair once, almost like he was combing it.

Hinata mimicked the movement, though he imagined it mostly just looked like he was trying to swat a bug away from his face without the signature hairdo to go with it. "Nice! Does Akaashi have a sign name?"

"Yeah, but he only lets me use it. He's way too formal, don't you think?" Bokuto laughed, loud as ever.

To Hinata's surprise, Akaashi broke into their conversation, signing almost as fluently as Bokuto. "You know I can understand you, right?"

Bokuto shrugged. "I'm just saying, we've been friends for long enough that you could drop the '-san' from my name. Plus, it wouldn't hurt to let Hinata use your sign name!"

Akaashi shook his head. "It's not necessary," he signed shortly, just as Hinata heard familiar footsteps echoing through the hallway.

"Oi, Hinata! Can you hear me?" Kageyama was using his hands as a megaphone, looking bewildered as he rounded the corner.

"Kageyama!" Hinata waved him over, the other boy warily giving Bokuto a once-over. He was big, Hinata had to admit, but the daggers Akaashi was shooting Kageyama with his eyes were far scarier.

Hinata whispered something to Kageyama then, and he furrowed his brow in concentration. "Nice to meet you, I'm Kageyama Tobio. What's your name?" he signed slowly, then nodded, satisfied, when he was done.

He wasn't prepared for what came next.

Bokuto was immediately introducing himself, and Akaashi was trying to correct the form on one of his signs, as Hinata hastily tried to tell them (both verbally and through signing) that Kageyama was just a beginner and they had to slow down. Neither one paid any attention to his heeding, and when they realised Kageyama had no earthly idea what was happening, their frenzied signing fizzled out.

"What?" was all Kageyama could ask.

Bokuto spoke up then, still hollering even though the other boy was no more than an arm's length away. "Sorry, we didn't think to slow down! I've been deaf my whole life, so I just kind of fly through whatever I'm saying. Akaashi has been around me long enough to get good at it, too." He threw his arm around the boy in question, and Kageyama stared.

"Uhm. I've only known Hinata for three weeks, so..."

Bokuto's face broke into a smile instantaneously. "You've only been learning to sign for three weeks, and you're already that good?!" He turned to face Hinata, who was smiling proudly. "He's really good, Hinata! You must be a great teacher!"

"It was mostly my sister, actually." He scratched the back of his neck self-consciously as Kageyama shook his head.

"All she did was tell you where to start. You did all the work, dumbass." He nudged Hinata with his elbow just as Tanaka rounded the corner at full speed.

"HINATAAA! KAGEYAMAA! YOU BETTER HAVE A GOOD REASON FOR BEING LATE FOR OUR FIRST MATCH AS A TEAM!" He stopped in his tracks when he reached the group, puffing himself up to glare down at Akaashi and Bokuto. "Who are you?"

"I'm Bokuto, I'm deaf just like Hinata!"

"Bokuto-san, you don't have to shout that at everyone you meet."

"But Akaashi, he's Hinata's friend! He deserves to know!"

Before Tanaka could say anything, Akaashi's phone dinged to alert him of a text message. Glancing at the screen, he wrapped his arm round Bokuto's bicep and started guiding him away. "We've got to leave too, so we'll see you around, Hinata. Kageyama, you too..." He waved a little over his shoulder as Bokuto flailed his free arm wildly, all the way till they rounded the corner.

"Who the hell was that?!"

"Tanaka-senpai, they just told you their names." Hinata's use of the honorific was enough to earn Tanaka's forgiveness, so he just sighed.

"Whatever, tell us about it after the match." He glanced at the clock on a nearby wall. "We're gonna be in deep shit when we get back as it is, and you know Daichi's a demon when he's pissed."

Hinata nodded as he and Kageyama fell into step with Tanaka. The trio didn't speak on the way there, but when Tanaka finally yanked the doors to their assigned gym open, Kageyama let out a tiny, horrified gasp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was really fun to write actually! A couple chapters back I asked what y'all wanted to see, and I had someone ask for me to explain why Yams hangs out with Tsukki, another asked for bathroom shenanigans and somebody else said protective Akaashi so hopefully it lived up to y'all's expectations :S There will be more Tsukki bitterness and Akaashi protectiveness to come though I'm sure...
> 
> It'll pick up from now on! (Or at least, that's the goal.)


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jesus it's been almost two months since I updated...and this is what I give you? I have no excuse anymore honestly. Don't hate me please.
> 
> I'm pretty "eh" about this chapter, it was originally way angstier but I decided to tone it down and save the angst for later chapters (as you may have noticed, I planned out the rest of this fic and there will be 20 total! God that's a long way to go) but I'm not sure I like how it turned out. Tell me what you think?
> 
> Oh and you may have realised I changed the match from just a practise match to an official match because...reasons.

"What is it?" Hinata mumbled in confusion as Kageyama gruffly dragged him off to the side of the gym. Tanaka followed absentmindedly, eyes darting between Kageyama and the manager of their team, Kiyoko, who was currently bending over to fill their water bottles. Hinata had half a mind to wonder if the distraction that is Kiyoko would affect Tanaka's playing, but then again she'd been present at several practises and he'd been fine so far. And if Kageyama's face was any indication, he had much bigger issues to worry about anyway.

"What?" he repeated once the trio had stopped, Kageyama leaning against the wall and jerking his head off to the left.

Tanaka followed the other boy's gaze, and after a moment something seemed to click in his mind. "Shit," he muttered, throwing his arm round Hinata's shoulders and pointing to a very distinct mop of black and white hair.

Hinata exhaled sharply, realisation hitting him. "I guess we can't use our signals now, huh?" he mumbled, facing Kageyama. Over the course of practising their toss-and-spike routine, they'd decided sign language was the best way to communicate their plans; first of all, it made things a hell of a lot easier for Hinata, but it was also convenient that no one else knew how to sign. But now that they were playing against another team with a deaf member, that plan had pretty much crashed and burned.

Kageyama shook his head. "No, it's too risky. We don't know how many of their teammates can sign, but even if Akaashi and Bokuto are the only ones, it would still be more than enough to sell us out." He sighed, obviously frustrated.

Hinata wrung his hands together as he tried to think of a solution. "We could, uhm, use different words to signal the play? Maybe we could still sign it, but make it less obvious."

Kageyama eyed him before turning his attention back to the players warming up on the court. "That could work. Is there a difference in the sign for 'give' and 'toss'?"

Hinata nodded. "Well, yeah. For 'toss' you just make a throwing motion, and for 'give'...you do this." He put his hand into the "x" position, sticking it off to the side before pulling it back toward his torso.

Kageyama nodded. "That works then. If you're gonna be the decoy, do the sign for 'toss.' If you want our special combo just say 'give' instead. Hopefully they won't be paying enough attention to pick up on the difference." He looked nervous, like he wasn't entirely convinced the other team would be so clueless. But at this point, they didn't have many options.

Tanaka nodded, clapping Kageyama on the shoulder before running off to tell Daichi about the change of plans. The captain would surely handle letting the rest of the team know; now all they could do was hope their new plan would work.

-

At the onset of the match, things went pretty smoothly. As usual, the team didn't rely on Kageyama and Hinata's freaky matchup all that much for the first set, instead focusing on directing the other team's attention to the power spikers. Karasuno won the set, albeit very narrowly, and they went into the second with high spirits. That was short-lived, though.

Fukurodani called a time-out, and Hinata noticed right away that Bokuto had picked up on their subtle signals. They'd only used their spike-and-toss three times, but he'd already seen enough for a look of revelation to flash across his face. Bokuto animatedly called to Akaashi, and undoubtably proceeded to explain the situation to him. Akaashi nodded, eyes darting toward Kageyama for a split second, and Hinata felt his stomach drop to the floor.

"Hey, Kageyama!" he stage-whispered, tugging on the other boy's jersey.

"What?" He looked slightly put off, but bit his lip absentmindedly as he waited to hear whatever it was that had Hinata so frazzled.

"Bokuto knows," was all he said, but Kageyama's features darkened instantaneously.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, he just told Akaashi...I think they're the only ones who know, but still." He looked at the floor, dragging the toe of his shoe over a scuff mark.

"Dammit, what are we gonna do now?" Kageyama ran his hand through the messy fringe sticking to his forehead. "That was our last option, too."

"Maybe we can just try it a couple more times, and see if they really have caught on?"

Kageyama sighed, feeling less than optimistic. "I guess."

The whistle blew, and it was time to play once again. Hinata had been right; the next time they used their special attack, Bokuto and Akaashi shouted the play at the rest of their team. It was still difficult for the other players to match Hinata's speed, but they now had enough of a heads up that they could just manage to block his spikes. Unfortunately, even the decoy play was rendered useless since they would anticipate whether Hinata was bluffing, and Hinata could literally feel himself growing more and more discouraged.

They continued the set as usual; Daichi told them that it was okay to let Fukurodani have this one, and they'd regroup before the next set. As was to be expected, Karasuno lost the set. In the team huddle, Coach Ukai just said to switch gears and focus more on Tanaka and Asahi since Hinata had been found out. He made it seem like it wasn't anything to fret over, and Hinata couldn't decide if that realisation made him feel better or worse.

As the set continued, he was feeling decidedly useless. He hadn't made any spikes since the second set, and he wasn't even valuable as a decoy at this point. Sure, he tried his best to block Bokuto's spikes, but honestly the other boy was on a completely different level from Hinata. The whole team was, as a matter of fact, and Karasuno lost the third set as well. It wasn't exactly a surprise, but the score was close enough that they all beat themselves up a little about it. They'd lost in the first round of the prelims, after all.

-

The bus ride home wasn't nearly as entertaining as the trip there had been. Hinata and Kageyama were sat in the very back, Hinata taking the window seat and Kageyama sprawled out across the rest of the bench with his head resting by Hinata's thigh. He'd originally said he would try to get some sleep (since they'd woken up so early that morning to prepare), but it never happened. He was too restless and frustrated with himself; eventually he ended up scooting closer and plopping his head down on top of Hinata's leg.

"Hey, Kageyama?" Hinata ventured, peering down to gauge his reaction.

"Yeah?" He responded with a glance up to meet Hinata's eyes, but only held it for a second. Hinata imagined his own gaze reflected the disappoint he saw in Kageyama's own.

"Do you...do you think I'm good at volleyball?"

Kageyama's brows furrowed at that, and he chewed on his lip again. "Why do you ask?"

"That's a no, isn't it." Hinata felt his shoulders slump into the synthetic leather of the bus seat.

"No, that's me being confused because you never seem to worry about trivial things like being 'good' at volleyball. Whatever that means."

"I don't know, I just. My dream is to be the best, y'know? And we couldn't even win a single match...I'm never gonna become the next Small Giant if I can't support my team." He looked down at his hands, fiddling with a loose string on his hoodie.

Kageyama sat up. "Oi, dumbass, that has nothing to do with being good at volleyball." Hinata opened his mouth to protest, but Kageyama shushed him. "Talent is just a pursued interest. You have to work at something, and work your ass off, for a long time before you get 'good' at it. And since you've never properly practised volleyball till a couple weeks ago, you're not doing so bad." He tried to smile, but Hinata thought it just made him look slightly creepy. He didn't say as much.

"I guess you're right, but it still feels like it's my fault we lost. If I hadn't been so preoccupied with using sign as our signal, we could've -"

"Woah, stop right there." Kageyama shoved his hand against Hinata's mouth to shut him up. "You're deaf, it's natural for you to want to sign. And it's expected of you, no one blames you for our loss; it's not like there was anything you could have done differently. If anything, you made our chances better. We're just not that strong of a team yet, but it'll come." Hinata considered contradicting him again, but he figured it wasn't exactly becoming to be so self-deprecating. Not out loud, at least.

As he was trying to form a response that wouldn't make him sound completely dejected, his phone vibrated next to him on the seat. He paused to flip it open, and was surprised to see the text that was currently scrolling across his screen.

_hey hinata! it's bokuto, I got your number from daichi. is that ok?? I didn't get a chance to say this before you left, so GOOD GAME (*ﾟ▽ﾟ*) you and kageyama are so cool!! do you think I could teach akaashi your fast toss and spike? probably not...but oh! I actually wanted to ask you if you and kageyama want to come to our next match? I would love it if you came but kageyama seems like he's kind of protective haha ( ´▽｀) so bring him along!! I can tell you the details in a couple hours once I know when it'll be, tell me what you think!（＾◇＾）_

Hinata stared at the display for what felt like a lifetime, and it finally piqued Kageyama's interest enough that he leaned over to peer at the text himself. "Uh, Hinata, are you gonna go?"

He snapped out of his somewhat stunned daze and nodded. "Yeah, probably, I mean I really like Bokuto...Come with me Kageyama, it'll be so fun!" He was smiling genuinely now, which felt good. He'd been borderline depressed just a few minutes before, so he was glad to get something positive to look forward to out of the situation.

Kageyama nodded. "Yeah, I'll go too. I like Akaashi." He laid back down with his head in Hinata's lap again, and hummed contentedly before closing his eyes as Hinata replied to Bokuto's message.

_We'll be there! ＼(^o^)／_

He shut his phone again and looked down at Kageyama, who was studying him with one eye open. "What?"

"Hey, dumbass, take those hearing aids out before you seriously start to hurt," he mumbled.

Hinata did as he was told, content that he had, at the very least, made some new friends out of this whole ordeal. He felt like he understood Kageyama a little better too, though he couldn't exactly place the reason why.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update: I got a beta for this fic!! So from here on out things should be faster/generally better lol. Thanks to everyone who offered though, y'all are all really sweet! *hides*


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